MotoGP 19 Review

Milestone s.r.l.‘s MotoGP 19 is the latest entry in the long-running franchise. In recent years the series has been plagued by poor A.I. and stiff competition from other developers, but this newest entry moves in the right direction. This series leans towards arcade gameplay over simulator, but less so than previous entries. There are plenty of things to enjoy here, and fans looking for a good motorcycle racing game should take a closer look at this title.

MotoGP 19 has plenty to offer for novices and veterans alike. There are numerous difficulty options to tweak to fit your skill level, though not as many as a game like Forza Motorsports. The shorter list of options does mean each has a bigger impact. This does kind of cap out lower than it should, and veteran drivers may have a hard time getting the difficulty up to where they want. It is not just in the difficulty settings where the game caters to both audiences. When customizing your bike’s tuning setup you can opt to go full gearhead with parts and sliders. Or you can use a guided system where you tell the game a general thing you want, like being able to take turns tighter, and it will offer up some adjustments.

The biggest improvement by far is the new “neural A.I.” feature which drastically improves your single player opponents. The A.I. bikes no longer run over the course like they are racing time trials, and act more in line with what you would expect for a proper race. This leads to a more fulfilling experience throughout. Like the difficulty sliders, the game will never match what the top tier players want, and they’ll have to rely on multiplayer for true competition. The game’s core multiplayer mode, MotoGP eSports Championship, was not available at launch and will be activated later. In the meantime, the regular multiplayer mode is a bit bare on race types but filled with options for the lobby creator. There were a few lobbies open a few days after launch, although not as many as you would hope for a brand new game.

The presentation of MotoGP 19 is excellent overall. The graphics look great for the most part, with the bland crowds being the weakest link here. There is no commentary or music on the track, which is annoying, but at least the bike engine noises rev up and down frequently enough to avoid monotony. The game does feature pop-ups that inform you of other racers overtaking each other or crashing, which does a lot to make the race feel more alive even when you are not near the pack.

There is a small amount of player personalization available, but it is extremely limited. You can design your helmet with lots of options, and the “number” painted on to your bike (it doesn’t actually have to feature any numbers) in a few spots, and a design on your avatar’s butt (seriously). There are a few designs you can unlock through challenges, but otherwise, that is it. A little bit more would have gone a long way.

MotoGP 19 Review Final Thoughts:

MotoGP 19 operates in that space that the Forza series occupies for cars. There are things here that will annoy fans looking for a full, authentic motorcycle racing experience, but casual fans looking for some two-wheel action should enjoy MotoGP 19. The field of direct competitors to MotoGP 19 is not particularly wide, so it is fairly easy to say it is among the top entries currently available. That said, there is still significant room for improvement in many areas and it will be interesting to see if MotoGP 20 builds on them next year.